The Nutcracker Ballet – Sojourn Soleil

By Ema ~ This is a day we have been looking forward to for a long time now. We have spent over a month finding the perfect dress for Elle, as well shoes and a cardigan, but all the parts came together and she was so excited to finally be able to wear it! We are off to the ballet to see the Nutcracker. I went to this very same theater and had about the same seats thanks to my dear Aunt when I was about Elle’s age. I was so excited to share this experience with her. I love going to the ballet and Thomas loves the symphony, so I have convinced him just think of it like that with dancers. We got all dressed and made the drive down to Flint to the Whiting for the show. My little sister looked like a princess gliding down the red staircase.

We dropped our coats at the coat check and made our way to the line to get drinks when we also found my dear Aunt that once upon a time brought me tho see this ballet here. It was quite a treat to find her and made the evening feel even a bit more special connecting my childhood memories of this experience to the one Elle and I were creating tonight.

It is such a sweet moment to share this night with my littlest sister!

We stopped by the Nutcracker statue to get some photos and found our Aunt again. We decided to wait to get Elle a little nutcracker to take home until the end. I have a ballerina ornament I got when I saw the Nutcracker in Bozeman Montana as a little girl with our mother. Elle hung it on the tree recently. We also visited Bozeman this summer on our trip across the country.

Our Aunt was kind enough to take some photos of us with the Nutcracker too before going to find her seats.

We were then off to find our seats. I tried to get us front row balcony and bought these tickets over a month ago, but the best I could do was one row back on the aisle. I think they were pretty good seats and Elle could go to the ledge like I remember as a little one.

At intermission we made our way to the lobby for drinks I had ordered when we arrived. That was a good plan as the line was long and this allowed us to just pick up and enjoy the time in the beautiful lobby before returning to the show.

We returned to our seats for the second half and took a few pictures of us at the balcony. I was just so delighted to share this with my sister and wish we could make it our annual ritual to see the ballet.

After the show we made out way back to the lower lobby. Again Elle reminded me of a princess flowing down the steps.

We went to get a Nutcracker for Elle only to find the stand was no longer attended. Others were leaving cash and taking a nutcracker, but unfortunately we did not have any on us this night. Elle was so sad, and just when we had talked her through it that we would get her one elsewhere, a sweet lady came along to get one for her granddaughter and had Elle choose one too. Lucky little girl was blessed this once again this night.